Talib Zanna is 6’8″ that’s good size in the college game. In the pros that’s average. In high school he looks like a friggin’ giant as he throws it down.
Hat tip to the MoshPitt for finding this.
Dwight Miller.
I arrived at the game this weekend about 2 hrs early to watch warmups. Pitt hadn’t started warming up at this point, but instead coach Sandal was taking Miller through an individual workout. A lot of the time he had miller picking and rolling to behind the 3 point line to pop a three. He had a very pretty stroke and to have a 6’9″ big man who can pop the three would be so valuable. The kid looked like a natural out there. It also says the coaches have confidence in him shooting this shot if they are working on it. I doubt Blair or McGhee work on that shot. Coach also had him faking and driving to the basket. For his size he looks very quick and explosive off the floor to the rim. I think the red shirt is going to pay off and this kid looks like he may be a stud some day. The best part: I don’t think he missed a free throw the whole workout.
PF
Taylor -starter
Miller -first off bench
Zanna -depending on development, 3-8 mpg
Richardson -redshirt
I’m sure Jamie Dixon will play someone like Zanna as a Center if need be. If Blair comes back then we could potentially have a nastier front court than this season. Videos like these add to my excitement.
If Blair comes back, then the frontcourt outlook is awesome. If he doesn’t, they’ll at least have big and talented bodies to throw out there, but it will be a total work in progress as we watch them mature into the college game.
The backcourt concerns me much more. We’re just not used to worrying about ballhandling and passing and rhythm in the halfcourt offense, because Fields has been taking care of that aspect of the game for years. We faced life without a PG when he went out last year, and it was painful to watch.
In fact, Pitt has played a style of halfcourt offense that requires the PG to handle the ball the huge majority of time for years on end (Krauser always had it, sometimes to the team’s detriment). Think how often the rock has to go back to Fields before anything happens in Pitt’s current offense — a few passes around the perimeter and then the ball back to Levance to get things started. I think next year, by necessity, will have to be different just because there’s nobody on the roster to replicate those skills.
How Dixon handles that gaping hole in his talent and skills mix will be the most interesting thing about Pitt hoops next year.
Thabeets games vs. good competition inside:
vs. Gonzaga: Thabeet 9pts 1 blk, 2 REB Heytvelt had 15 pts and 3 REB
vs. Georgetown: Thabeet 4pts, 7 blks, 7 reb/ Monroe 16 pts 3 reb
vs. ND: Thabeet 9 pts 5 blks 11reb/ but Harangody had 24 pts 1 blk 15 REBOUNDS!
vs. Pitt: Thabeet 8 pts, 3 blk, 10 reb BLAIR: 22 pts, 1 blk, 23 reb
vs. ND the second time; he clearly outplayed Harangody but still gave up 14 pts.
vs. Pitt second time: Blair sat a lot and he got some easy buckets but did nothing of a POY candidate.
Thabeet is the Defensive player of the year yes, but by no means is the POY in this league.
Thabeet is the inverse of Harangody. Thabeet all D- no offense and not a very good reboudner…Harangody, no defense very good on offense…Put them together and yes then Thabeet could be co-player of the year…but shouldn’t be when compared to Blair…O well, you know it will just put a chip no Blair’s shoulder and he always play well when he has that.
He’s having too much fun being the BMOC to leave at this point.
I get the feeling that Shady liked being BMOC more than Blair does, and he left Oakland for greener pastures.
A 6′-7″ center in the NBA? That’s interesting. I don’t think that Blair can play facing the basket so a center it is. The NBA “tryouts” should give Blair a good clue. I suspect (hope) he goes that route rather than hiring an agent right away ala Chris Taft.
The nice thing about college basketball/NBA is that he can actually go through the process (like Gray and Young before him) and get a true sense of where he is. Nobody is going to blame him for leaving if that’s what he chooses to do.
But to say with certainty that he “is as good as gone” or that “his stock is as high as its ever going to be” is foolish. An aspect of his game that would go a long way toward making him an even better player is the development of a face-up game (as BigGuy mentioned). Given the leaps and bounds others have made before him with this coaching staff I’d say there is a strong possibility that if he stayed we’d see an even more dangerous and dominant Blair next season. And that’s something that would certainly improve his stock even more.
Also, this seems like a decision that DeJuan with the support, not pressure, from his family.(something I still believe influenced Shady)
Don’t know what to think about Blair. It does bother me that he appears to have the NBA on his mind, because I feel like it could be a distraction for him. I know he gets asked about it by the press, but I just wish he would say: “I’m focused on winning a national championship. Any talk about the NBA can wait ’til the season is over.”
I don’t want him to miss out on his shot, he deserves it. At the same time I want him to be more than a spark plug off the bench in the grown man’s league. NBA rebounding will be tougher and the brutality of it hurts to watch. Some have proven that they can rebound and not be 6’10, David Lee(6’9) who plays for my Knicks has proven that. Blair is a 6’7(maybe a tall 6’6)Center though and along with the Point Guard, in my humble opinion, is a position where you can be ridiculously exploited in the NBA. The last thing I want is Baby Bear feeling homesick and broken.
Let’s not be so fast in pushing the kid out the door yet. He may be 1 move away from being a lottery pick so why rush it? I understand that injury can happen but it’s a gamble either way. He’s going to be a successful NBA player whether people like it or not, I just hope in the end that he’s happy with his decision.
Anyways, I hope Young uses the tourney for his NBA resume. Basically knowing his performance could lead to millions. (well further millions)
If we win the NC… Blair will leave. Which is the only scenario that wouldn’t bother me too much.
If he also uses the tourney as an nba resume and tears it up.. .and leaves.. can’t blame him. (but i hope in that process we get the NC)
But I hope he does the process right, and doesn’t pull a Taft, and I think by taft doing that, he will always serve an example for future pitt players on what not to do.
Agree that Richardson should be RS next season. Miller, Taylor and Zanna will play. It will be interesting to see if Patterson gets much playing time, I suspect he just may.
Also agree with the point guard issue. We can only pray that Woodall has been tutored by Fields in practice. I don’t know if Gibbs playing point guard this year equates to him becoming a good point guard in the future. He just does not seem to be a point guard.
Josh, I’ve noticed that too. I get the impression that Sam is a loner and that there is still a residual tension between Sam and Dixon from when Sam considered transferring after his sophomore year.
Kenny, what is a “Piit”?